Waste of money or worth the wait? Market traders and shoppers weigh in

Market traders in Huddersfield are selling their wares from a temporary structure while their Grade II*-listed home undergoes a £16.5m overhaul. People on social media have likened the interim site to a "cowshed" - but what do shoppers and sellers really make of their current home?

"My first customer told me she thought it was nice," says Fatoumata Sillah, who relocated to the metal warehouse after six years selling African fabrics, turbans and Arabian perfumes elsewhere in the city.

"It is a bit spread out," she adds, referencing the new layout; beyond the temporary space, tables with blue and white or yellow canopies line Brook Street and Bryan Street.

"It is not more comfortable but as long as we have a roof I think it is OK to wait."

Others say the recent blistering heat has led to a slow start at the new site, which opened last week while work gets under way at the original market, which dates back to 1888.

"No-one wants to shop when it is that hot," says a fruit and veg trader, weighing a bag of tomatoes and handing it to a customer.

"We need to give it a chance."

Traders are expected to stay at the temporary site for almost 18 months while the market undergoes a revamp - work that Kirklees Council says will "secure its future" and "protect its heritage".

"After 18 months we will go back inside and hopefully that will be a nice market for the new generation," Fatoumata adds.

Not everyone shares her view though.

"It is stupid," one shopper shouts as she slips out of the new space, which has no windows or doors, just metal panels that open and close.

"The customers do not like it," Mohammed Iqbal Ismail tells the BBC.

For the last 35 years, Mohammed has sold scarves and shawls from the Brook Street market but after moving to the temporary location, he is now considering shutting his stall.

"It is very hard, it is no good for us, I cannot put most of the stock here," he says.

"A lot of my friends are gone already, It is only a third of the market here.

"I am worried."

Concerns were raised about the plans earlier this year when critics suggested revamping the market would "damage" traders and ultimately "kill one of the UK's best markets".

The work includes restoring the decorative cast-iron frame and roof, and reinstating the original colour scheme of red, pink and cream.

There will be more than 87 pitches, including 12 larger permanent stalls and 75 de-mountable stalls for market days.

It will also be more accessible following the installation of ramps, automatic doors and accessible toilets.

But Mohammed is critical of the work.

"It did not need doing," he insists. "They are just wasting money."

The redevelopment is financed by the government's Levelling Up Fund, the conditions of which stipulate work must be completed by 31 March 2028.

David Shepard, who has overall responsibility on the authority for homes and neighbourhoods, says councillors "know how important it is to maintain a market presence in the town".

"The temporary market allows us to do this," he says. "Its location makes sure there is a familiarity for customers and visitors."

The noise of drills and machinery from work at the market provides an unwelcome soundtrack to the shopping experience in the new space.

Josephine Pearson says she was "gobsmacked" to see the temporary setup but ultimately believes the investment was important.

"It had gone down the swanny, the stalls were empty," explains the 82-year-old, who has shopped at the market twice a week all her life.

"The market gets the people out, it will be worth it in the long run."

For Andrew Wheeler, he believes there's a stronger market scene in Lancashire and often heads there to shop instead.

"You just do not have the choice that you used to," he says of Huddersfield's offer.

But the 72-year-old hopes the work will make the market more like the ones he sees overseas.

"We go to France and their markets are still brilliant."

Meanwhile, he's sympathetic to both the traders and the councillors, adding: "I suppose they are doing their best".

As for the temporary setup?

"It is a mish-mash," he says."But [the market] is a nice building and it is worth saving."

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.